Categoría: Fútbol Internacional

Spain is the reigning world champion, having won the FIFA world cup in 2010 by beating Holland in the final. They have for long been considered one of the top football playing nations but have consistently underperformed at the international level until recently.

That said, the game is extremely popular in the country and the fans of the game constitute the biggest inspiration for the national team that relies on a solid championship structure at the club level.

The Spanish Super Cup, known as the Supercopa de España, is a Spanish football championship in which the winners of the La Liga take on the winners of the Copa del Rey. This is similar to the Community shield in England in which the winners of the Premier League and the FA cup face each other in a traditional season opener.

This year’s tournament in Spain will be contested by Barcelona, who won the 2010-11 edition of the La Liga; they will face Real Madrid who won the Copa del Rey, last season.

The competition as it is currently played was first organized in 1982. In a previous era of Spanish football, between 1940 and 1953, a similar competition was held, in which the winners of the league and the cup, then called the Copa del Generalismo, met in similar fashion.

The tournament was initially called Copa de Campeones when it began, in 1940, after which there was a hiatus for five years, before a similar contest was held in 1945, under the sponsorship of the Ambassador of Argentina, under the name of Copa de Oro Argentina.

Two years later, a new annual tournament called the Copa Eva Duarte de Perón was held and dedicated to the President and the first lady of Argentina. The tournament was held between the ninth and last months of the year, in the form of a single-leg final.

The 2010 Spanish Super Cup was contested by Sevilla FC who won the Copa del Rey that year, and Barcelona, who were the La Liga winners for the 2009-10 season. Barcelona beat Sevilla by a 5-3 aggregate score in the two-leg encounter to claim their 9th Super Cup title.

Among other champions, Real Madrid have won the title on eight occasions, since the tournament began in 1982, while Deportivo have won it twice. There have been seven other champions to have won it once each. These are Sevilla, Zaragoza, Valencia, Mallorca, Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad.

FC Barcelona travelled down to Villarreal on Saturday night for week 21 of this season’s Spanish League. The «yellow submarines» as they are known to their fans are way down at the bottom of the table in the relegation zone and things have not been looking too good for them. Out of 19 matches played prior to meeting Barcelona they had won just four, with seven draws and eight losses.

In comparison, FC Barcelona had 13 wins, with five draws and just a single loss. Also take a look at the number of goals: just 18 for Villarreal compared with Barcelona’s 59. Therefore on paper, it should have been an easy win for Barcelona, whose morale should have been high after eliminating Real Madrid from the Copa del Rey during the week.

However, football isn’t about stats and it isn’t fought on paper; it’s what happens on the pitch that counts and in the event, there were few real chances to score. Villarreal’s goalkeeper seemed to be in good form when Barcelona were on target, and the defence of the yellow submarines was solid, so creating those opportunities was tough. The first half offered few opportunity for Barça, and while Villarreal did create several chances to attack the Barcelona goal nothing ultimately came of it.

When the teams came out of the second half Villarreal were looking slightly more urgent, but it was Barcelona who controlled the play. However, despite having high possession of the ball, they were unable to do anything with it that counted. It wasn’t really until the last ten minutes of the match that Barça had some good opportunities to score and it looked like they would take the three points. However, it just didn’t happen and the match ended goalless.

The result was disappointing for Barcelona, who were already trailing Real Madrid by five points. With Real Madrid winning their match on Saturday it now leaves Barcelona seven points behind and it’s starting to look as if la liga is out of their reach. While theoretically they aren’t out of the race, it’ll take some poor results from Madrid to turn that around for them. It remains to be seen whether misfortune will strike Madrid so hard. While their first match against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey quarter final was won comfortably by Barcelona, the return leg was nowhere near so close and in fact Barcelona was lucky to draw 2-2 and qualify; now that they are out of contention for the Copa del Rey, Madrid’s focus can remain on the domestic and European trophies.

Ahead of every new season, we are all asking «who will our team sign»?

See what you think of my predictions:

Fernando Torres

Liverpool > Chelsea

With Liverpool now failing in all areas Fernando Torres will want to start winning trophy’s and he knows that Liverpool FC is not the place, there were rumours of a Barcelona move however that will not happen now and he would never join Real Madrid.

Chelsea are successful and looking to build on that, With Drogba and Anelka at 30-31 years old they will be moving on within the next 2 years therefore Torres will take the mantle.

Approx Fee – £40 Million

Karim Benzema

Real Madrid > Manchester United

It is well known that Sir Alex is a fan of this young Frenchman and he showed promise at Lyon however has had a tough season in Madrid, one bad season in Madrid is normally the end and I expect the same result here. Man united need striker’s with Berbatov not performing and Owen injured invariably it rests on Rooney’s shoulders.

Approx Fee – £22 Million

Cesc Fabergas

Arsenal > Barcelona

If this does happen i would be shocked, Fabergas has publicly stated his desire for the move and when that happens you cannot stop it, it would be another fantastic signing following David Villa to the Nou Camp, as it happens he would join the other Spain Internationals such as Puyol, Pique, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Villa, Pedro.

Approx Fee – £40 Million

Wesley Sneijder

Inter Milan > Chelsea

I write this article pre WC final however regardless of this fact he has had a fantastic season and a great World cup campaign, he has matured in the talent that was showing promise in his Ajax days, Scoring Goals from all angles and distances including dead ball ability he has fast become hot property.

With a host of big clubs interested such as Manchester United, City & Chelsea he will have plenty of options.

There is of course a chance that he will stay with the European champions but when money talks players often move.

Approx Fee – £35 Million

Maicon

Inter Milan > Real Madrid

What a signing this would be. In my opinion Maicon is the best right back in the world, he has everything including goals. Although he has has had league and European success i suspect he will fancy a new challenge and following his former coach to Madrid which would mean Sergio Ramos moving into central defence should the move happen.

It is a glamour move and the Spanish league is a faster pace which will suit Maicon’s game.

Approx Fee – £25 Million

Edin Dzeko

Wolfsburg > Man City

With new manager Steve Mclaren at the helm he needs to funds to change this now faltering team, starting with the sale of Edin Dzeko, the tall striker is a goalscorer in the bundesliga but for fee involved it is risky. The Premier League tends to find players out and i feel it will happen to Dzeko.

We will see.

Approx Fee – £30 Million

10. Luis Figo, a world famous football star, who played for FC Barcelona from 1995 till 2000. He was arguably the fans’ most favorite player in FC Barcelona, until 2000. That’s when «it» happened, Barcelona’s biggest rivals, Real Madrid, decided to splash the cash and break the transfer list fees record by getting Luis to Real Madrid.

The move caused outrage among Barcelona fans, Madrid got him for a world record fee of 38 Million Pounds. And that’s when the fun begins, during the match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, when Luis Figo stepped up to take the corner kick, a pig’s head was thrown at him from Barcelona’s side. Another incident took place during the 2004 EURO Cup Final between Greece and Portugal. A Portuguese fan ran out on the field, managed to outrun the police, and heading towards Luis threw a Barcelona jersey at him, as the whole world was watching.

9. 1996 – African Challenge.

1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, The most surprising gold medals went to the hands of Nigerian football stars after they overcame Brazil in thrilling semi-finals, with a 4-3 score. The finals was between Argentina and Nigeria, well over 2 billion people were watching it, of course most of them thought that Argentina will have no problems getting the gold medal, but most of them were wrong. Argentina was in the driver’s seat after leading 1-0. The goal came on a 3rd minute, scored by Claudio Lopez, on the 28th minute Nigeria managed to equalize, as Babayaro scored a perfect finisher. So it was 1-1 on half-time. In the early second half Hernan Crespo gave Argentina the lead again and Argentina was on the way to get the gold medals, but «not so fast» said Amokachi as he scored the equalizing goal and again gave Nigeria hope. Match was almost over and everybody thought it was going to be decided by the penalty shoot out. 90th minute and Amunike gave the lead to Nigeria, it was a shock for Argentina, time was almost over, Argentina had no chance, so it ended with a final score 3-2. Nigeria won the gold medal, for the first time in Olympic Games history.

8. 1960, First ever UEFA European Football Championship (EURO) held in France. It was won by the USSR, beating Yugoslavia 2-1 in a tense final in Paris. It is however quite interesting to note that earlier in the competition Spain had withdrawn from its quarterfinal match against the USSR due to political reasons. As an interesting fact, USSR also scored the first goal in the EURO history, during the qualification games.

7. 1998/1999 English Premier League season, Manchester United got all trophies possible that season. They became the first ever team in football history to do so in one season. First they got the Premier League title, finishing first in the league table, then they took the F.A. Cup title by beating Newcastle United 2-0, and of course the most famous UEFA Champions League final, when United managed to come back from a 1-0 defeat, and score not one but two goals in an injury time beating Bayern Munich 2-1; it was considered to be one of the greatest comebacks ever witnessed.

6. 2002 World Cup, Korea/Japan. Korean fans will never forget that historic moment, when Guus Hiddink took them all the way to the Semi-Finals of 2002 World Cup. Korean national football team became the first ever Asian national football team to reach semi-finals of World Cup. Nobody expected the underdogs to go that far, as they beat Portugal 1-0 in a group stages, then a famous 2-1 win over Italy, drawing with Spain in a quarter-finals and then beating them 5-3 on penalties. In the end however they couldn’t take on Germany in semi-finals, and they lost 1-0. In the game for the third place Korean team met Turkey, but again they lost. Eventually the Republic of Korea finished 4th in the 2002 World Cup, which was still a great success for the country’s football team.

5. June 2003, Chelsea FC was bought by the Russian Billionaire Roman Abramovich for a record fee of 140 million pounds. Back then it was the biggest sale of an English Football club. Straight away Roman wanted to make Chelsea the best and strongest club in the world. He began buying players for a record braking transfer fees. First season with a new owner Chelsea FC finished as a runner-up. But next year, the 2004/2005 English premier league season, Chelsea became champions of England, for the first time since 1954/1955 season. 2005/2006 Season they took the premier league trophy again as they were crowned the champions of England for the second time in a row. These 2 seasons were the most successful 2 years in the club’s history.

4. January 11th 2007. It was confirmed that David Beckham will be leaving Real Madrid to play for the United States «soccer» club, Los Angeles Galaxy. Beckham’s decision was a shock to many, as one of the world’s best football players moves to United States of America, where «soccer» is not that popular. He was the first big player to enter Major League Soccer.

3. 6th February 1958, the Munich air disaster. It was the darkest day in Manchester United Football Club history. On the board of the plane was Manchester United football team along with the club supporters and journalists. 23 of the 44 passengers on board died. Captain James Thain, the pilot tried to take off twice, but both attempts were aborted due to engine surging. When a third take off was attempted, the plane failed to gain adequate height and crashed into the fence surrounding the airport and then into a house. Now every year on this day Manchester United holds a memorial to the people who lost their lives in the Munich air disaster.

2. 2006 World Cup Final produced one of the most famous moments in football history, when Zidane’s head-butted on Italian defender Marco Materazzi. It was Zidane’s last international appearance for the French national team and 3 billion people around the world were watching it. The next day newspapers all over the world were not writing about how Italy won their 4th World Cup title, but they were writing about how Zidane pulled the «stunt» on Marco. Definitely that was one of the biggest moments in the history of football.

1. Edison Arantes do Nascimento, aka Pele, the world’s most famous name in football. Football is probably the most famous sport in the world, and Pele is the man who made it what it is today. Pele made 669 appearances in club football, scoring 626 goals. He also made 92 appearances for Brazilian National football side and scored 77 goals. He made his first club appearance when he was just 15 years of age. He made his first international appearance for Brazil when he was 16, and won his first World Cup when he was just 17. Pele is hailed in Brazil as a national hero. The number one moment in football history is when Pele managed to score his first international goal for Brazil, just three month before his 17th birthday.

Johan Cruyff is a legendary football player known the world over for his aggressive and intelligent style of play. Though he had success in his earlier years, it is when he joined FC Barcelona in 1973 that his star really began to shine.

Cruyff began his career in his home country of the Netherlands playing for AFC Ajax. There he led the team to many victories and memorable performances, but was eventually sold to FC Barcelona for a hefty sum. Cruyff wasted no time winning over the Barcelona fans, stating to the press that he chose Barcelona over their rivals Real Madrid because he didn’t want to play for a team associated with former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. He even named his son Jordi, a traditional Catalan (the region of Spain in which Barcelona is found) name.

Cruyff’s years playing for FC Barcelona were truly memorable and made him an icon. In his first year with the team, he helped them win La Liga for the first time in fourteen years (beating Real Madrid on their own turf along the way) and was also named European Footballer of the Year. It was during this time that he also scored one of his most memorable goals, called «The Phantom Goal» or «Le but d’imposible de Cruyff» (The Impossible Goal of Cruyff). In a match against Atlético Madrid, the football was already past the far goal post and was at about neck height when Cruyff leapt into the air, twisting so that he was facing away from the goal and kicked the ball into the goal with his right heel. This move among others propelled him to godlike status in the eyes of football fans.

Cruyff then spent many years away from FC Barcelona as a player and manager, until finally returning to the club as manager in 1988. When he returned to Barcelona, Cruyff brought with him the so-called «Dream Team». This elite squad was composed of Spaniards Jon Andoni Goikoetxea, Jose Mari Bakero, Josep Guardiola, Txiki Beguiristain, along with international stars Romanian Gheorghe Hagi, Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov, Dane Michael Laudrup, Brazilian Romario, and Dutchman Ronald Koeman.

Under Cruyff’s direction, the Dream Team went on to win four consecutive La Liga titles from 1991 to 1994. They won the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1989 and the European Cup in 1992 at Wembley Stadium with a famous free kick goal courtesy of Ronald Koeman. In 1990, the Dream Team won a Copa del Rey, the European Super Cup in ’92, and three Supercopa de Espana.

Cruyff remains FC Barcelona’s most successful manager to date, with eleven trophies to his name. He also has the distinction of being the club’s longest serving manager. He continues to be an advisor for FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta, whom he openly endorsed during the elections. To this day, he is still revered by FC Barcelona fans, who call him «El Salvador» (The Saviour) for his successful run as both player and coach at the club.

Experience the glorious past and the vibrant present of FC Barcelona through pictures and news readily available online. Apart from the official club website, exciting and breathtaking FC Barcelona pictures are in abundance in several blogs, news sites, and websites dedicated to the club. Check out the latest FC Barcelona news in the top news sites in the world as well as in the official and other unofficial websites.

Futbol Club Barcelona, nicknamed Barça, is not as much as a football club as it is a Catalan institution. Founded in 1899, it is one of the best Spanish clubs with Real Madrid as its closest rival. At present, it home to other sports teams apart from the football club.

FC Barcelona is said to be the most popular football club in the whole of Europe. Some surveys show that it has a fan base of 44.2 million fans in the football-crazy continent alone. Hence, FC Barcelona news and Barça rumors are in great demand online. Fans are also racing to shoot photos of their beloved club during matches and sell them online. Online buyers are faced with several options.

Track Record

Barça is among the big three Spanish football club. Alongside Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, it has never been relegated or demoted from the La Liga, the premier league in Spain. All in all, the club has lifted 18 La Liga titles, a record of 24 Spanish Cups, two League Cups, and seven Spanish Super Cups.

In European leagues, FC Barcelona has won four UEFA Cup Winners’ Cups, two European Cups, two UEFA Super Cups, and three Inter-Cities Fairs Cups.

Camp Nou

The home stadium of Barça is Camp Nou, also referred to as «Nou Camp.» Constructed in 1957, it has witnessed hundreds of football matches against visiting clubs since 1857. Camp Nou is rated by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) as a five-star stadium. It can hold up to 98,772 people and is the biggest European football stadium.

Camp Nou is one of the preferred hosts of UEFA Champions League Finals. The club won their very first game at their new stadium in 1957. They thrashed Legia Warsaw of Germany, 4-2.It was built from 1954 to 1957 and was designed by a group of three architects. The stadium has also been the venue for several major music events.

There are plenty of FC Barcelona pictures with Camp Nou as the background available to fans. They come in colored and black-and-white. Sometimes, the pictures are able to capture the club in their most intense action. There is drama, joy, love, and passion in pictures. You could also easily find group and individual photos.

Latest News

In the most recent Barça news, the club bulldozed Malaga in a pre-weekend La Liga match. The resounding win catapulted the club to the topmost position in the league standings, six points ahead Real Madrid. They are slated to next face Valladolid but their recent triumph over Malaga is bound to boost their spirits prior to their anticipated UEFA Champions League quarterfinal fixture against Germany’s Bayern Munich. Browse online for photos and the latest news of the match.

«Los Galacticos» means the stars. When we talk about it, automatically we talk about one of the biggest clubs in Europe, Real Madrid FC. The term referred to that club about 4 or 5 years ago because it consisted of a lot of stars or great players. Those stars were in the shapes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo. Madridistas or Real Madrid supporters used to name them «Los Galacticos I» but nowadays there are «Los Galacticos II» with different stars. Although both of them consists of a lot of great players but I think it’s quite difficult for them to match the achievement of «Los Galacticos I». Here are my reasons why I say so.

First of all, The stars in Real Madrid now are relatively new in Spanish football so they still have to make some adjustments. For example, Ricardo Kaka, we know that he is a great playmaker when he played for AC Milan in Italy. He played as a central figure in Milan’s midfield. However, Spanish football and Italian football are two different leagues and they have different styles of football. I think so far, Kaka and also many other new stars haven’t shown their best forms in Real Madrid.

Next, so far they haven’t been able to play well as a unit or as a team. They do score a lot of goals but I think many of the goals come from the stars’ individual skills. Take a look at Cristiano Ronaldo’s goals. Many of his goals come from free kicks or long-range shots, his special skill.

All in all, Even though Real Madrid stars are now named «Los Galacticos II», these stars are still unable to match with the stars of Real Madrid 4 or 5 years ago in terms of achievement and the way of play. They still have to work hard to prove that they deserve to be called as «Los Galacticos II».

Futbol Club Barcelona was founded in 1899 by a team of English, Swiss, and Catalan footballers, headed by Joan Gamper and today the club enjoys spectacular worldwide support, as well as being one of the most popular expressions of Catalanism and Catalan culture. This sometimes puts it at odds with Real Madrid and the result is a long-standing rivalry between the two biggest clubs in Spain, whose highly anticipated matches are dubbed «el clasico», with Barcelona representing a Spain of regions against Real Madrid’s centralist vision of the country.

The club first got off the ground when Gamper put an advertisement in the Los Deportes regarding his desire to form a football club, and soon he found some supporters who met at the Gimnasio Sole on 29th November to discuss plans. The meeting was attended by Walter Wild who went ahead to become the first director of the club, Otto Kunzle, Enric Ducal, Pere Cabot, Josep Llobet, Otto Maier, Josep Llobet, Carles Pujol, John Parsons, Lluís d’Osso, Bartomeu Terradas, and William Parsons – FC Barcelona was born!

The club had a successful start in the regional as well as national level, and it went from strength to strength. The team won its first trophy, the Copa Macaya in 1902. Since its inception, FC Barcelona has achieved fame across the world with its consistent efforts to excel and create a mark in the history of football. Such is the support that the club even has an official anthem, called the «Cant del Barça», written by Josep Maria Espinas and Jaume Picas.

Contrary to many other football clubs, FC Barcelona is owned and operated by its members. The club is often considered to be the second-richest football club in the world, in terms of revenue. Barcelona is the only European club that has consistently played European football matches every season since 1995 and is also one of only three clubs that have never been relegated from La Liga, alongside arch-rival Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao.

In the year 2009, FC Barcelona became the first Spanish club ever to be victorious in the treble, constituting of Copa del Rey, La Liga, and the Champions League. In the same season, the club also became the first in Spain to win six out of six matches in the same year. FC Barcelona has fans across the world eagerly waiting for each season to see how their favorite team will battle out with other teams for the trophy.

FC Barcelona is a well-known name for the football fans scattered all over the world. The club has some of the start and most promising players in football world. However, there is more to the club than just the fine skills displayed by its players. Here are some interesting and amusing FC Barcelona facts that are sure to surprise its supporters.

Facts on History of Barcelona: The club was founded by Hans Gamper, a Swiss nationalist with the help of a newspaper advertisement and is now owned and operated solely by the club members. It was never a mere football club but a political symbol as well. The club stood as a symbol against Rivera’s and Franco’s dictatorships and has always had a strong tie with the Catalan nationalism. It was during Franco’s dictatorship, the club was forced to change the name to Club De Football De Barcelona. However, the club changed its name back to this club in the year 1974 because of its Catalan roots. The club was forbidden from using the Catalan Language during the Franco dictatorship. However, over the years, it has become a rule that the players of FC Barcelona will have to know the Catalan language, with some exceptions like Lionel Messi.

Facts on Club’s Achievements: The club has been ranked by Forbes as the second most valuable club in the world and has proved itself to be one of the most popular clubs across Europe. It is also the club with highest number of players winning the Ballon d’Or, with 11 Barcelona players having won it. Lionel Messi, one of the most popular Barca players, has won the Ballon d’Or five times. The club had also defeated its arch rival Real Madrid FC on their first official match with a score of 6-1.

Fun FC Barcelona Facts:

· This club doesn’t run short of fun and amusing facts either. Very few people know that FC Barcelona fans are known as «ass» in the Catalan language.

· Though it is commonly thought that unlike other Barça players, Lionel Messi does not know Catalan language, he was heard addressing the public in this language when he was drunk after a Barça win!

· The Camp Nou stadium is one of the largest stadiums in Europe but the matches there are seldom attended by the local people. This is probably because of the high ticket prices due to its international fame.

· FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have had a long history of political rivalry as well, with the latter being supported by the political power of Franco and the former being against his dictatorship.

· This club has invented its own style of playing which is known as tiki-taka or The Total Football Philosophy. Johan Cruyff is the man behind this famous football playing style and the strategy has brought the club many victories.

· For a long time, FC Barcelona was against corporate advertising but the policy was finally taken down and they collaborated with UNICEF for the first time in 2006.

The match ended with 4 goals, 8 yellow cards, a red card and lots of controversies. Pretty explosive for an El Clasico with no stakes.

The El Clasico has always been one of the most awaited football matches that features FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, two of the biggest football clubs on the planet. The clash is not just limited to the contrasting football styles of the clubs as it is also seen as a clash between Spain and Catalunia. With such importance attached to the match, it has always lived up to the expectation of football fans. Emotions run high on the field as tempers flare and controversies and fights ensue. This Sunday’s El Clasico had been described as a damp affair even before its start as Barcelona had already won the league while Real Madrid were being cautious in preparation for the Champions League Finals. The fact that this was Iniesta’s last Clasico was the only reason most fans looked forward to the football match. There were others who reminded the fact that Barcelona had remained unbeaten during the league and cup season so far and a defeat would mean they would fail to go the full season unbeaten.

But all of that damp El Clasico talk turned into dust as Barcelona took an early lead through Luis Suarez who perfectly connected with a Sergio Roberto cross. Real Madrid soon equalized as Cristiano Ronaldo connected with Benzema’s headed pass that was set up by Toni Kroos. Both teams continued to threaten each other’s goals as chances were being created left and right. Ronaldo also picked up an injury that saw him hobbling during the rest of the half. By the end of the 40th minute, two of Real Madrid’s defenders were shown yellow cards and so were Barcelona’s Messi and Saurez. But the real controversy started when the referee failed to notice Gareth Bale’s horrible challenge on Samuel Umtiti that should have earned him a straight red card.

Things soon started getting heated up as half-time approached. A Real Madrid attack on the left flank saw a clash between Marcelo and Sergio Roberto. The latter lost as cool and threw his fist into Marcelo’s face. The referee had a clear view of this clash and showed a straight red to Roberto just at the half-time break. This meant that Barcelona had to play the entire second half, one man down.

While Barcelona were down to 10-men, Real Madrid had to substitute Ronaldo due to his first-half injury that caused a swollen ankle. Real Madrid dominated the half but were not able to create many chances. Barcelona once again took the lead as Messi scored from Suarez’s pass. There was a fierce protest from Real Madrid players as Saurez had fouled Varane in the lead up to the goal but got away with it. Real Madrid struggled to find the equalizer against a 10-man Barcelona and it was Gareth Bale who curled it in the 72nd minute to level the scoreline.

Barcelona continued to attack as a super effort from Lionel Messi was beautifully saved by Navas. Messi once again ended up close to scoring as a curling shot from him ended just wide from the post. Real Madrid too were starting to take advantage of 10-man Barcelona. Marcelo was brought down inside Barcelona’s box but the referee once again made a controversial call as Real Madrid were denied a clear penalty. Barcelona, having given a clear lifeline, continued to resist all advances from Real Madrid and hang on to dear life. Nelson Semedo brought on for Coutinho to take up Roberto’s position in defense, impressed with his speed and stamina. Finally, Semedo cleared the ball with a header as the referee blew the final whistle.

Andres Iniesta’s final El Clasico had exploded into life early on and lived up to the billing. There was applause all around has the Maestro took his one last bow.

Despite all the controversies and bad refereeing decisions, everyone was satisfied with the result. Barcelona’s manager Ernesto Valverde later exclaimed that it would have hurt if the unbeaten streak had been broken by Real Madrid, so a draw was a fair and acceptable result. As they say, even a draw means unbeaten. Everyone who saw Sunday’s El Clasico will agree that the players took to field as if everything was at stake, contrary to the belief that nothing was.